A number of aircraft, satellites or other vehicles presently in use rely on spinning mass gyroscopes having an analog output for use in guidance of the vehicle. Typically, such gyroscopes are connected to onboard electronics and provide an analog output which is processed to provide guidance information to the operator or a computerized control system of the vehicle, for example, a pilot or an onboard computer.
With the advent of fiber optic gyroscopes and ring laser gyroscopes, these types of devices have increasingly replaced spinning mass gyroscope systems because of their accuracy and reduced size and weight. Thus, modern day aircraft are constructed with such fiber optic gyroscopes and ring laser gyroscopes, and with appropriate electronics configured for operation with the fiber optic gyroscopes or ring laser gyroscopes. When employed, the output of these newer types of devices is digital in nature and the electronics employed is adapted for processing the digital output for use in vehicle navigation.
Although such modern vehicles are increasingly constructed with the fiber optic gyroscope systems or ring laser gyroscope as a component thereof, it also has become desirable to replace the spinning mass gyroscope systems of older vehicles with the more modern and lighter fiber optic gyroscopes or ring laser gyroscopes. A problem with such replacement, however, is that the electronics on the older vehicles are configured for operating with the spinning mass system and it has been thought that to implement such fiber optic gyroscopes or ring laser gyroscopes in older vehicles, the entire electronics must be converted to the type presently in use with the newer types of devices. This can be costly and cumbersome.
In accordance with the invention, retro-fitting of the entire electronics of older systems is avoided while permitting replacement of the older spinning mass-type gyroscopes with the more modern fiber optic gyroscope or ring laser gyroscope systems.